Range War: The Bureau of Land Management Blinks
In an interesting twist to the BLM vs. Bundy standoff in Nevada, the BLM has released 400 cattle they rounded up belonging to Cliven Bundy, a rancher at odds with the government for 20 years. See previous LGF posts here and here.
All over the internet, right wing websites (including Fox News) have painted Bundy as a folk hero, but the fact is he’s been not just grazing, but overgrazing, more than 900 cattle on public land without payment.
Oathkeepers and assorted Patriot nutcases descended on the cause, armed, and threatening a shootout with government authorities if the cattle confiscated by the government weren’t released.
Earlier in the afternoon, about 2 p.m., there was a report that some 25 BLM Rangers were trapped in the Holiday Inn Express by members of a militia who were using their trucks to block the motel. A caller said it was the second time it had happened this week.
Don’t think for one moment this has ended with a release of cattle. The more significant fact was bullying, and showing up armed to the teeth, these rangeland fanatics have scored a victory over a government they refuse to acknowledge as legitimate, and consider every bit as weak as the POTUS they despise.
As an aside, this band of armed whack jobs have earned a spot on SPLC’s Hatewatch, and for good reason. Their gripes don’t end with nearly-free public grazing rights. Basically, we have a perfect storm of the Posse Comitatus, babyklukkers, Dominionists, and gun fanatics, and they’ve just been rewarded magnificently for potentially lethal behavior.